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Can I give my Belgian Shepherd oral ivermectin? Is it safe for his breed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Belgian Malinois | 4 years old

Greetings! I use to give ivermectin to my Belgian shepherd following bad case of puppy mites but gave it a break for a few months now. I just find out about agmectin in granules. The injections hurt him so I would love to switch to oral. I read in a forum that it is not recommended for shepherds and few other breeds due to heavy side effects!. Is this correct? Many thanks. Eric

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 9th, 2018

I am not familiar with Agmectin but from what I read about it, it is a topical product for fleas and ticks - not the same product as Ivermectin. You can give the injectable Ivermectin that you were giving previously orally (by mouth) so why don't you do that instead? Same dosing as for injecting it. Collie breeds are more susceptible to ivermectin (ie: Australian cattle dogs, Australian Shepherds, Shelties, Collies, etc). Not really German Shepherds or Malanois. If he hasn't had any problems before with Ivermectin then he should be fine now. I would suggest using a product such as [Tri-Heart Plus](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/tri-heart-plus-chewable-tablets-for-dogs-51-to-100-lbs) or [HeartGard](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/heartgard-plus-chewables-for-dogs-51-to-100-lbs) instead. Much safer and no chance of overdosing. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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